ISLAMABAD, Aug 9: President Pervez Musharraf on Thursday decided against imposing a state of emergency, bringing to an end almost 24 hours of speculations and uncertainty in the country.

Statements and leaks to the media by senior members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and top government functionaries since Wednesday evening had kept the nation on tenterhooks.

Senior ministers and PML leaders, who were either reluctant to speak on the issue till Wednesday night or were hinting at the imposition of emergency, were categorical on Thursday afternoon in denying that such a move was on the cards — at least for the time being.

“Yes, the issue was discussed at a meeting with the president,” Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said. However, he hastened to add that a consensus built up that there was no need for the imposition of emergency. Speaking at a news conference on return from Kabul, Mr Aziz refused to hold out an assurance that emergency would not be imposed before the general election, saying the Constitution provided for a proclamation of emergency in certain circumstances.

“Emergency is proclaimed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. I have not given any such advice to the president.”

Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, the PML chief, was more categorical in denying media reports. Interestingly, most stories about the move had emanated from his residence on Wednesday night. He was quoted by more than one minister and MNA to have said that the president believes the imposition of emergency had become a necessity.

More intriguing was his decision not to make a speech in the National Assembly where he ignored repeated pleas by opposition members seeking a clarification from the government on the emergency reports. Later, the opposition staged a walkout in protest against the refusal of the treasury benches to state the official position.

Outside the parliament building, the PML chief brushed aside the media reports. His party’s secretary general, Mushahid Hussain Sayed, went a step further, saying that `some elements within the president’s camp’ were doing a disservice by advising Gen Musharraf to impose emergency.

The rumours died eventually as clarifications started flowing in the afternoon from the government side. But it only happened after millions of people were made to spend a sleepless night, fearing that they may get up in the morning to learn that their fundamental rights had been taken away through a presidential decree.

Opposition members in the National Assembly vented anger and frustration on the government for showing a disdain for emotions of the general public.

Speaking on points of order, some members of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) alleged that the government wanted to impose emergency just to `restrain the Supreme Court’.

The MMA’s parliamentary leader, Liaquat Baloch, said the government wanted to suspend fundamental rights, on the basis of which former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had moved a petition in the Supreme Court seeking permission to return home.

Similarly, he said, MMA president Qazi Hussain Ahmed had already filed a petition challenging the president’s uniform.

Another MMA MNA, Farid Piracha, said imposition of emergency would be the last `unworkable option of the government and will backfire’.

Syed Naveed Qamar, Sher Mohammad Baloch and Raja Pervez Ashraf of the PPP said the proclamation of emergency would neither save the government nor the uniform.

The PPP legislators said they would go to the Supreme Court if `such an undemocratic step’ were taken.

Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain denied that he had been consulted by the government about the emergency move. Farid Piracha, the MMA MNA, had averred that the government had taken the speaker into confidence about the deliberations.